When an automotive vehicle (vehicle) stops functioning properly, usually it must be towed to another place, for example where it can be repaired. In some cases, a vehicle leaves the surface of the roadway and stops in a ditch. In others, an obstacle is presented between the vehicle and the roadway, such as a guardrail, that must first be overcome before towing and recovery can be successful.
Various kinds of tow trucks and techniques are used in vehicle towing and recovery. For example, a flatbed tow truck has a flatbed that is capable of being extended away from the cab, and of being pivoted to move an edge of the flatbed closer to the driving surface where a vehicle is being recovered from. The recovered vehicle is then either driven onto the flatbed, or a winch is used to pull the vehicle onto the flatbed. The flatbed is then returned to its normal, or driving, position by pivoting and retracting in reverse fashion. A wheel lift truck has an apparatus that lifts the front of the recovered vehicle from the surface of the roadway, while the rear wheels travel along the roadway surface during towing, or vice versa. Some tow trucks have combined features, such as a flatbed and a wheel lift, or a wheel lift and an adjustable boom winch.
The common step in all such efforts involves moving a recovered vehicle (i.e., the vehicle that is the subject of recovery and towing efforts) from one point to another. However, in some cases additional efforts are necessary to first position the recovered vehicle so that conventional equipment and techniques can be effectively used. Such conventional equipment includes, but is not necessarily limited to, a tow truck, a surface the recovered vehicle rests upon, a winch or similar machine for achieving mechanical advantage for lifting a heavy object, a tow cable, and a hook attached at one end of the tow cable. For towing and recovery with a flatbed tow truck, the entire recovered vehicle is lifted. Other types of tow truck are known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
In some situations, an obstacle like a guardrail or a ditch is between the tow truck and the recovered vehicle. If an operator of a tow truck tried to engage the recovered vehicle using the conventional equipment mentioned above, and then pull the recovered vehicle through or on top of the obstacle, often it will cause property damage—either to the recovered vehicle, the guardrail, and/or some other property in the vicinity of the effort.
Therefore, in some cases, a preliminary step is needed so that the recovered vehicle does not have be moved through or on top of an obstacle. Instead, a tow truck operator (operator) uses a vehicle towing and recovery system combined with conventional equipment as further discussed, in order to lift the entire recovered vehicle, and move it to a new position clear of an obstacle. Once clear, at least a portion of the recovered vehicle can then be placed back in contact with the surface of the roadway, where conventional equipment and techniques can be effectively used.
Accordingly, vehicle towing and recovery system, as described and claimed herein, according to multiple embodiments and alternatives, enables an operator to overcome various obstacles and problems that frequently arise, and which increase the difficulty of a recovery effort, particularly in cases where conventional equipment of a tow truck is not sufficient by itself. The utility and safety associated with such conventional equipment like winches, tow cables, hooks, and pulleys or hoist systems are seriously limited by obstacles like guardrails and ditches. Conventional equipment and techniques often amount to “hook and drag” methods where the recovered vehicle is dragged through and over various obstacles, which leads to the aforementioned property damage. Moreover, for particularly challenging obstacles, attempting to move a vehicle using only conventional equipment as identified above places excessive stress and tension on the tow cable. This can lead to further damage either to the tow truck or the cable itself. If the tow cable snaps, or becomes disengaged, it may cause an operator to lose control of the recovered vehicle, which can even lead to property damage or personal injury.